“He doesn't want people to realize we did get a really fair offer. We do make on average $62,000 a year in salary and overtime,” he said.

“Yeah, drivers (are) going to make $63,000 if (they're) working 18 hours a day, seven, 10 days a week,” Macon said.

MCTS said it proposed an hourly increase from $24 to $24.45.

Health care seems to remain a sticking point. MCTS is offering a plan in which an individual would pay $144 in 2016, while a family would pay $372. Both are increases from 2015 terms.

“We came back on June 26 with a contract proposal that would have increased their salary up to 3.3 percent in 2016 and 4.3 percent in 2017,” Conway said.

Those increases do not include cost-of-living adjustments or a salary bump.

“That's not about the pay raise. The issue is about security issues,” Macon said. “(We're concerned about) drivers not being able to go to the bathroom. But the company says you can stop in the middle of the route and do it.”

Conway said drivers are allowed to go to the bathroom; they just need to let dispatch know that they’ll be running late.